National Restaurant Chain

Building Brand Love in America’s #1 Media Market – NYC – Through Culturally Relevant, Local News Stories

Linhart secured 168 earned media stories in NYC to help a national restaurant chain drive brand awareness and customer loyalty. Through a program tailored to what local media require for coverage, the team exceeded its goal by 40% and earned a PRSA Bronze Anvil Honorable Mention for the initiative and results.

Challenge

A fast-casual burrito restaurant chain established New York City — the largest and toughest-to-crack earned media market in the U.S. — as its top priority market for local news to help drive brand awareness and customer loyalty among residents and restaurant-goers. Linhart was tasked with securing a steady cadence of NYC coverage – 10 stories per month or 120 total stories for the year – for the chain.

Strategy

Linhart needed to build relationships with local reporters to land consistent, positive coverage about the brand’s priority areas: 1) leadership in real food, including through new menu items and its athlete partner program, 2) easier access to the brand via new restaurants and new formats like walk-up windows, and 3) culturally relevant events, observances and partnerships impacting – and benefitting – NYC residents.

Execution

The Linhart team:

Pitched NYC-specific stories, like celebrating an NYC marathoner who fuels up with the restaurant’s food and sharing the inspirational journeys of NYC-based employees who have worked for the company for 10+ years.
Spread the word about new NYC restaurant openings and formats that increase access and convenience, including highlighting “firsts” to drive news, like the brand’s first walk-up window in Queens.
Shared culturally relevant, buzzworthy national marketing programs, like the partnership that triggered a donation to a musician’s foundation every time someone ordered his signature bowl; a contest giving away free burritos to celebrate National Burrito Day; and gold foil-wrapped burritos and free delivery for sports fans to enjoy as they cheered on athletes who fueled up for competition with the same menu items.
Offered new menu news early, combined with sampling, to build relationships with reporters who cover menu innovation and what’s new at restaurants.

Results

By pitching programs and stories unique to the NYC market; spreading the word about new restaurants and formats that increase access and convenience; delivering culturally relevant news that was shareable for media and fun for New Yorkers; and offering advance new menu item testing to build reporter relationships, Linhart:

Secured 168 NYC news stories for the restaurant chain in one year, exceeding the goal – 10 stories per month or 120 total stories for the year – by 40%.
- This included stories across the five boroughs and repeat coverage from seven reporters who covered the burrito chain two times or more.
Was honored as a PRSA Bronze Anvil finalist for the campaign and received an Honorable Mention on awards night.

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